Welcome to the Countdown to GayRomLit 2016 and to today’s guest, Featured Author Posy Roberts.
I’m thrilled to be at The Novel Approach today. For those who don’t know me, I’m Posy Roberts, and as of today, I have seventeen books published: seven novels, six novellas, and three shorts. By the end of the year I hope to add another novel to that list and will for sure have a holiday short story coming out.
This will be the third year I’ve attended GRL but my first year coming as a Featured Author. The last two I came as a Supporting Author and experienced my first book signing, where I got to meet readers. That was a head-trip all its own, people sing-songing “It’s Posy” and walking over to me with an open book and pen in hand to get me to sign it. I learned right then and there that I needed to work on my signature! J
I’m still a relative unknown in the MM Romance world, so going as a Featured Author is a bit YIKES to me. My stories tend to be meaty, character-driven, and focus on genuine struggles men face when falling in love or fighting to stay in love. I have fans who love my writing, but I’ve never been a breakout star of our genre, so going in a prime spot is intimidating. But GRL is a fantastic way for readers and writers to connect, which is why I’m willing to go out of my comfort zone.
At GRL I get to have face-to-face conversations and relax in a way I’m unable to do many other places. How many people in your everyday life can you openly talk to about your love of MM Romance? Can you gush over one book or another with your friends when you go out for coffee? Are you able to get into deep conversations with your co-workers about what you thought the symbolism in a series meant beyond the obvious?
I’m unable to do that with anyone outside my online community and a few people I meet up with a few times a year. Some people are closet readers who only have social media where they can share their thoughts. Others have no one to talk to at all, because even social media is too risky for them.GRL is great for that reason alone.
I’ve talked with people about characters, speculated about what would happen in the next book in a series, and made friends. I’ve been able to connect with people I only know by their screen name and avatar from Twitter or Facebook. Last year I met a reader who agreed to help me with my Cuban character to make sure I wrote him in a genuine way, and she went on to beta read my Naked Organics series.
This year I get to meet two women I’ve been friends with online since our fan fiction days. N.R. Walker, Jay Northcote, and I started off writing in the same fandom, but we all live on different continents. Finally we get to meet, and I’m lucky to be on a panel with them where we’re going to go around the world in fifty minutes.
Mostly, I’m excited about meeting readers, talking to potential new readers, and getting to know you.
MM Romance brings people together from all over the world, and we are a very diverse group. It’s fantastic, and I can’t wait to meet more of you! I’m a little shy at first, but as soon as the ice is broken, all is good. I’d love to chat with you, so come find me. I’ll be around, probably looking shocked I’m there as a Featured Author but smiling nonetheless. :)
About the Author
Posy Roberts writes about the realistic struggles of men looking for love. Whether her characters are family men, drag queens, or lonely men searching for connections, they all find a home in her stories.
Posy is a Jill of all trades and master of the drill and paintbrush. She’s married to a partner who makes sure she doesn’t forget to eat or sleep during her writing frenzies. Her daughter, a budding author and cinematographer, helps her come up with character names. For fun, Posy enjoys crafting, hiking, and singing spontaneously about the mundane, just to make regular life more interesting.
